After a thrilling, upset win over then-No. 7 Penn State, MSU has jumped both the Nittany Lions and Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff ranking.
The Spartans come in at No. 12 in the latest poll, joined by No. 13 Ohio State and No. 14 Penn State, the Big Ten East foes all bunched up together.
A pair of conference foes — No. 20 Iowa and No. 25 Northwestern — also made their debuts in the poll. The Spartans have played both teams, defeating the Hawkeyes, but falling to the Wildcats. MSU is 2-2 against ranked teams in the CFP poll.